“You know what I mean, David.”
He crossed his arms and stared at me. “I just told him what I told you about Sammy.”
“Thanks. I guess I owe you for saving my father’s business.” I took a long sip from my drink.
“You don’t owe me anything. I just don’t like to see people getting screwed. Your father’s a good man.”
I rolled my glass in my hands. “Sammy will know the information came from you. What will you do now?”
“I don’t know. New Orleans will be a difficult town to get ahead in with Sammy out for revenge. But I’m not ready to move on yet. I might want to stay for a while.”
I searched his face for a moment, studying the light in his eyes. “There’s just one thing I would like to know.”
He arched closer to me. “Anything.”
“Why?”
“What?” he asked, surprised.
“Why are you doing this? You’re not getting anything out of this. I’m just curious about why you’re being so helpful.”
“I told you. I don’t like seeing people get hurt.” He directed his attention to his drink sitting on top of the bar.
“I know. I just find it hard to believe you did this out of the goodness of your heart.”
“Are you angry I told him? Would you prefer I never said anything, and let his business go to Sammy?” He picked up his drink and took a long sip, avoiding my eyes. “Want a fresh one?” He pointed to my half-empty glass.
“I just don’t understand why you are doing all of this. We don’t know each other and you don’t owe my family anything. You can’t blame me for being suspicious.” I drained the rest of my drink.
He took the glass from me and walked around behind the bar. “What’s eating you? Most people would be extremely grateful for the information I’ve given you. But you, you give me the third degree.” He poured the ice from my glass into the sink behind the bar.
“I’m sorry. I am grateful. It’s just that…I feel like hell for setting Eddie up the way I did.” I rubbed my aching temples. “Do you know the guy came here thinking I was in love with him? He brought me a rose.”
David laughed. “I’m sorry, darling, but I just don’t understand what you are so upset about.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I guess the thing that really upset me is that Colleen was such a bitch about the whole thing.”
“What else do you expect? From what you’ve told me, Colleen has wanted Eddie for years. Now that she has the opportunity to grab him from you, she jumps at the chance.”
“I didn’t have Eddie.”
“If he came here with a rose, then you had Eddie. Look, does all this really matter? If Eddie wanted out, all he would have to do is say no.” He reached from across the bar and gently ran his finger along the outline of my chin. “You look tired,” he whispered.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night.” I smiled. “How’s the back?”
“I think I need a very good nurse.” He came around the bar and sat down on the stool next to me, taking my hand in his.
“Sorry, just a student.” I shrugged. “No license.”
“How do you feel about pizza?” he queried.
“Pizza? I was hoping for a gourmet dinner.”
“I gave up chef school for art school. Sorry.”
“I can’t eat art.” I paused and gazed into his eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
“We could pick up a pizza on the way to my place. Perhaps continue were we left off…with the painting.” He let go of my hand. “I don’t want you to think I just want your body. I have a very legitimate interest in painting you, not making love to you.” He placed his hands in his lap, stiffened his mouth, raised his chin, and stared directly past me. His eyes became cool and disinterested.
I teasingly traced my fingers along his square jaw line, enjoying the course feel of his five o’clock shadow. The muscles in his face twitched ever so slightly at my touch. I started undoing the buttons on his shirt one by one. He cocked one eyebrow with interest. Halfway down his chest, I reached inside his shirt and placed my hand against his warm skin. His face moved closer to mine and his eyes began to shimmer with a lustful intensity. I turned closer to him and undid the rest of the buttons, opening his shirt all the way. I rubbed my hands up and down the full length of his chest. I was mesmerized by the feel of the muscles under his smooth skin. As he observed me, his mouth curved in a devious smile. Raising my head, I kissed his neck, and let my lips slowly journey up to his chin. His head arched back and I could hear him sigh. My lips explored the muscles in his neck and chest.
“I don’t think I’m in the mood for pizza,” I confessed. “Take me home.”
He held my face in his hands. “Are you sure?”
I moved my lips down to his chest, teased his right nipple with my tongue and then I bit down, hard.
He gasped. “We won’t stop for pizza then. We’ll have it delivered.”
He practically carried me to his Jeep. We pulled out of the driveway, leaving track marks on the street. David drove along the city streets like a madman, running red lights the whole way. Minutes later, he pulled up in front of the small cottage. Before the engine had even shut down, David was at my door, carrying me out of the car and up the steps to his place.
“In a hurry?” I teased.
“You’re lucky I didn’t attack you over at your father’s. That would have made a wonderful impression,” he joked, tossing me down on the bed with a thud.
“I think you broke something,” I said, rubbing my butt.
“Sorry,” he added while removing his shirt.
I leaned back onto the bed. “Answer one question for me.”
“Nicci, no more questions. No more words. I would like to seduce you without the third degree.”
He threw his shirt on the floor and climbed in the bed. Clasping my head in his hands, he pulled my mouth to his. His kisses were electric, sending sparks throughout my body. He eagerly undressed me, dropping my clothes to the floor. A few moments later, I lay naked beneath him.
He stared down at me, drinking in every inch of my body with his eyes. “The more I see you,” he stroked my stomach with his fingers, “the more I want you.” Reaching between my legs, he began teasing me with his nimble fingers. His mouth was against my ear. “Do you want me, Nicci?”
I could feel the tingle of tension rising up my back.
“Say you want me!” His breath was hot against my skin. “Say it!” He drove his fingers deep inside of me, sending white eruptions of pleasure spiraling through me. A cry of desire rose in the back of my throat, as my body arched against him. “Say it!” he groaned in my ear.
“Yes.” I struggled to get the words out in between waves of pleasure. “I want you, David. I want you.”
He pushed my arms above me, pinning my hands beneath his. He drove his hips into mine, forcing my legs apart with his weight. His teeth teased my skin, as his hot breath burned against my cheek. Our eyes locked and I relaxed under his ardent gaze. At that moment, he entered me in one forceful thrust. I moaned with both shock and pleasure, as he drove himself deep inside of me. I buried my face in his chest while he plunged again, hard and deep, into my wet flesh. When my final scream of ecstasy erupted, I was aware of nothing except David’s body enveloping me.
***
By the time the pizza arrived, we were both ravenous. I was wearing his shirt and he was in nothing but his jeans. Together we sat on the bed, eating the greasy pie, and drinking champagne.
“I got a little carried away.” He touched the bite marks on my exposed shoulder. “I’m not usually like that. I guess you just swept me off my feet.”
“I thought that was my line.” I shrugged. “I could sit here and say I feel foolish and cheap, but the truth is…I’m not complaining.” I took a long sip of champagne.
He cocked his head to the side. “I never knew you had it in you.”
“And now that you know?”
He lay
down on the bed next to me, stroking my leg. “For the first time I felt that you showed me a part of yourself tonight. You trusted me. That’s something I don’t think you have ever done with anyone.”
“It’s not in my nature to trust. If I have learned anything in my life, it’s to lie low and keep to myself. People are less likely to give a damn about you if they never see you.”
He sighed. “I wish you would trust me all the time.”
“That first night when you brought me here, had you planned on sleeping with me?” I paused and gauged his reaction. “And why didn’t you?” I quickly added.
He laughed, making the bed shake. “Now you want to know why I didn’t ravish you from moment one, eh?” He laughed again, even harder than before. “Because, my dear woman, I was trying to figure you out. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to sleep with me. I didn’t know…if you had ever slept with a man before.”
I finished off my slice of pizza. “You could have just asked.”
“I gathered later that you had, so it doesn’t matter.”
I climbed out of the bed and stretched, then reached for my clothes.
“What are you doing?” he snapped.
“I’m getting dressed. I need to get home.”
David grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the bed. “You’re not going anywhere tonight.”
I struggled, but to no avail. “David, it’s late. I’m sure you don’t want me here in the morning when your other women will be calling.”
“Shut up, Nicci.” His mouth was inches from mine. “I really don’t give a damn who knows about us.”
“I told you before, David, there are no ties between us. You owe me nothing and I….” I left the words hanging.
“You are so hard, aren’t you? Never let me know what you are thinking. What you are feeling. I’m not a stupid man, Nicci. I know what I felt from you tonight was more than sex. Why can’t you admit that to me?” He let go of me.
I sat up in the bed. “I have nothing to confess. All we had tonight was sex, good sex. Don’t confuse it with an emotional basis for a relationship.”
When he looked at me, all the coldness of winter had returned to his eyes. He got up from the bed and went to the kitchen.
After I had dressed, I walked out of the bedroom to find him sitting on a stool in the studio, a bottle of bourbon in his hands. He was staring at one of the numerous portraits of me scattered about the room. He did not acknowledge me when I passed by on my way to the living room.
“What are you afraid of?” he demanded from the studio.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit. You’re afraid. Afraid of me and afraid of what I would do to your well-planned life. That’s it, isn’t it?”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and dialed information. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“What are you doing?” he growled.
“Calling a cab.”
“I’ll take you home.” David got up from his stool, walked into the living room, and yanked the iPhone from my hand. After ending the call, he held the phone out to me, starring at me with his angry eyes.
I took the phone from him. “I’d rather you didn’t bring me home.”
He said nothing as he grabbed his keys from the desk and pushed me out the door.
We drove back without saying a word to each other. I kept watching him out of the corner of my eye. He shifted the gears with such force, I thought he was going to rip the stick shift from the floor of the car. He pulled into my driveway and parked in front of the porch steps. When I started to get out of the car, David broke the tense silence between us.
“You asked me earlier why I was helping your father. I wanted you to trust me. I thought that if I told him the truth about what Sammy had planned then perhaps you would believe in me. I just want a chance for us, Nicci. That’s all.”
“I understand David. I understand completely.” I climbed from the Jeep and quickly walked away.
Chapter 11
The next morning, I was in my little red Honda heading to my Aunt Val’s. I hadn’t intended to visit, but I needed to talk to someone about the jumble of feelings that were bouncing around my heart.
Val’s residence on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain resembled an eighteenth century Italian villa. Her late husband, Dan, had built it for her over fifteen years ago. Unlike many of the social set in the city, Val’s life was not laden with the entrapments of scandal and notorious affairs. She and her husband had lived many happy years together, deeply in love, and were the envy of all who knew them.
I pulled into the driveway and saw Val’s Bentley parked in the garage. The gardens in front were still green and luscious, despite the passing of summer. Pink crepe myrtle and white azalea bushes framed the cobblestone walkway, as an Italian marble fountain bubbled off to the side of the main entrance. I picked up one of the brass fleur-de-lis-shaped knockers, and let it fall against the thick mahogany door.
Val answered in one of her many multi-colored muumuu dresses. She never dressed up unless it was for a party.
“Nicci!” She ushered me into the atrium, which boasted white marble tile and another, smaller fountain. “I’m glad you dropped by.”
I kissed her cheek. “I was in the neighborhood,” I said vaguely.
“Bull. What’s on your mind, kid?”
I followed her into the spacious living room. Wide Doric columns sat in each of the four corners of the room, and a twenty-foot ceiling held four massive skylights. The room was painted pale blue and contained dozens of antiques from Val’s journeys around the world. She bypassed the finery and motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen.
“Sit.” Pointing to a set of stools, next to an island topped with inlaid Italian tile, she strolled toward the coffeemaker.
Val had created a state-of-the-art kitchen with two oversized refrigerators and four ovens. She had designed it to give her a place to practice her number one hobby, cooking.
“All right.” She placed a steaming white mug in front of me. “Let’s hear it. But I’m sure it has to do with your painter fellow.”
“Lucky guess?” I mused, sipping the coffee.
“No, just intuition. I could tell the night at the party that you two were much more than friends.”
I set my mug on the island countertop. “I don’t know what to do.”
“About what? Wait until you have a big fight to get upset about things. In the meantime, enjoy each other. By the way, I heard Eddie is engaged to your cousin. I won’t even begin to guess how she pulled that one off. Everyone knows the guy only has eyes for you.” She quietly sipped her coffee, as if none of these occurrences were noteworthy.
“She used the oldest method in the book. Entrapment.”
Val’s eyes lit up, and a grin crossed her weathered face. “Sly bitch. I love your family dearly, Nicci, but the Hoovers, on a good day, give me indigestion. Does Sammy know how she trapped him?”
“I’m sure she knows by now.”
“Oh, I would have loved to have seen the expression on her face when Eddie dropped that bomb. Ah well, maybe I could be there when she gets wind of you and her fellow.”
“What are you talking about?” I questioned.
“When Sammy finally finds out her man belongs to you.”
“I’m sure she knows something is up. David told me when he left Sammy she didn’t suspect anything. But I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.”
Val leaned in closer to the island. “What do you mean, when he left her?” Her face became very serious.
“David said it was over between him and Sammy.”
Her blue eyes went wide. “When did this happen?”
I closely studied Val’s reaction. “Last week, I guess. I’m not sure.”
She straightened herself up and took in a deep breath. She turned away from me and walked to the kitchen window, overlooking the lake.
“What is it, Val?”
She glanced back and gave me a weak smile. “
I saw your young man and Sammy out just yesterday at a restaurant in town. They didn’t look like they were fighting to me.” My stomach dropped away. “Was I wrong to tell you this, honey?”
I rubbed my hand over my face. “No, it doesn’t matter. I’m under no obligations to David Alexander.”
“Under no obligation? Listen to yourself, child. From the look on your face, I would say you are already deeply obligated. After what I saw of the two of you at the party, I feel certain that your painter feels the same way.”
“I’m not so sure. Sammy and her influence can be more persuasive to a man like that.” I peered into my coffee mug. I had always suspected somewhere in the back of my mind that I was being used. Continually trying to decipher what was really behind David’s sweet words and tender kisses. Now I knew.
“You’re being very melodramatic about this, aren’t you? Maybe the man wants to change his life. Maybe he went to Sammy to finish everything between them. Have you ever thought about that?” Val paused and looked at me, shaking her head. “You know, Nicci, I’ve seen a great many people come and go from our circles. Some leave town, some just drop out, and others probably never belonged to begin with. But you, I’ve always noticed that you were quite different from all the rest. You’re not selfish and self-centered, like most of the worthless idiots who surround me every day. Your painter friend has also noticed. That’s why I’m sure he left Sammy. After being with you, she would only seem like a very shallow experience.”
I stared off at the lake beyond the window. “I won’t see him again, Val. I don’t think I should.”
“That’s silly. To deny yourself something you’ve waited for from the moment you were born is wrong. What is happy is always right.”
“I don’t know if he makes me happy. I’ve made plans for my life and he doesn’t fit into those plans. Anyway, think of the gossip everyone would enjoy at my expense.”
Val slapped her hand on the Italian tile countertop. “Listen to yourself. Now you sound like the rest of those fools out there. Since when has gossip bothered you? This is more than just worries over life plans and gossip.” She looked me over with her steely eyes. “He has gotten to you, hasn’t he?” A smile slowly crept along her face and she laughed. “Finally, someone has broken through that armor plating of yours.”
The Nicci Beauvoir Collection: The Complete Nicci Beauvoir Series Page 13